6-Day Sri Lanka Highlights Tour with Yala Safari and Galle Fort

On arrival, receive a warm welcome to the tropical island of Sri Lanka and travel to Habarana via Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, where the baby elephants are fed and trained.

On the way, visit Dambulla Rock Temple, which dates back to the 1st century BC. Dambulla Rock is 152 metres high and is famous for its beautiful murals and statues, the colossal recumbent figure of Buddha measuring 14 metres in height, and the paintings on the ceiling of the cave.

After breakfast, leave for Kandy via Sigiriya's rock fortress, 200 metres high, and see the remains of the palace built by King Kashyapa in the 4th century AD.

Also see the world-famous frescoes painted with earth pigments on plaster and the graffiti on the 'mirror wall'.

On the way, visit a Spice and Herbal Garden at Matale.

In the evening, visit the Temple of the Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha during the Pooja Ceremony and attend the Kandyan Cultural Dance Show.

After breakfast, enjoy a city tour of Kandy. Visits include the Botanical Garden in Peradeniya, which was once the pleasure garden of royalty, the Kandy Arts and Crafts Center, a Gem House and Lapidary, a wood carving factory, and Upper Lake Road, from where you will get a panoramic view of the last kingdom of Sri Lanka.

Then leave for Ella via Nuwara Eliya, en route visiting a tea plantation and a tea factory. Experience one of the most scenic and spectacular journeys in the world through the heart of the tea country, which produces 50% of the world's best tea.

Relax in the afternoon.

• Optional: Visit the Ayurveda Spa for a Herbal Bath and Massage at Ella.

After breakfast, leave for Thissamaharama, the gateway to Yala National Park. En route, visit Rawana Water Falls.

In the afternoon, visit Yala National Park by jeep. Yala is one of the best-known reserves in the south-eastern corner of the island and the largest and most famous of Sri Lanka's national parks.

After breakfast, leave for Galle.

On arrival, visit the Dutch Fort in Galle, which was built by the Dutch at the edge of the sea in 1663.

Then leave for Colombo.

• Optional: On the way, visit Turtle Hatchery Farm, Moonstone Mines, and enjoy a boat safari on the Madu River.

Leave for the airport to catch your flight.